About | maiharfarms.com

About us

Our commitment to organic farming directly benefits the environment and those living on and around the farms. By removing chemical fertilisers, pesticides, herbicides and insecticides, natural farming practices promote the health of the soil, air and water on farms and produce crops that have no chemical residue.

PROMOTION OF SUSTAINABLE, NATURAL FARMING

Ever since Maihar agro was founded, we have dedicated our energy and resources in motivating farmers to convert from conventional agriculture methods to sustainable, natural practices. With dedicated personnel on the ground, we continually guide and support member farmers through this process. Some major impacts include:

Farmers have reported marked improvement in the quality of soil, which is now more porous and produces more yield due to the addition of more natural inputs in the soil.

With inputs and our support, the farmers are achieving better awareness on managing the nutrition of their farmland. Instead of burning or discarding crop residue from farms like they did in the past, they are now putting most of organic & natural waste back into the farm ecosystem.

There has been a marked reduction in water required by crops during the season; we have documented an average reduction of upto 25%. This stems from enhanced soil porosity and an enhanced water retention capacity of the soil. In the past, use of chemical fertilizers led to the hardening of the top soil which led to lower absorption and bigger run-off loss in irrigation. In a year with scanty rainfall, the impact of soil’s water retention capacity is clearly noticeable.

Maihar Agro Farms, it’s all connected. Our methodology begins with our farmers. In our integrated approach, we begin by offering natural certification and training to our farmers. Through our certified sources and under the guidance of our ground level force, we ensure a supply chain of quality natural goods. We pay our farmer partners a premium over market prices and subsequently make agriculture a viable option for them. To make the process of procuring and marketing our goods as efficient, transparent and fair as possible, we have integrated each crucial step into our working business model.

SOURCING

Without our farmers, we cannot move forward. Our successful model starts with forging strong relationships with local farmers – by recruiting them through local organisations and our own field officers. But sometimes, farmers find us through word-of-mouth in their communities and proceed to participate in our training and certification program. Once they complete the program, they have the option to sell natural crops to Maihar Agro Farms at a premium, or in the local markets at conventional prices. We source most of our top-quality ingredients directly from small producers who are committed to organic & natural farming and fair trade conditions.

Maihar Agro Farms does not provide direct financial assistance to the farmers. However, what we do provide are quality inputs – including seeds, bio - fertilisers and bio-pesticides – to encourage natural farming practices, increase farm yields, and maintain high standards of the final product. We strive to make our farmers empowered, not dependent.

CONVERSION

The process of converting a conventional farm to a certified natural one is a three-year process. During this time, Maihar Agro trains the farmers in natural farming techniques and assists them in selling the interim crops in conventional and Fairtrade markets. This allows the farmers to benefit from our broad market exposure while getting paid a fair price for their goods, as promised.

MONITORING

Quality is important to us. But more than that, maintaining the high quality of products that our customers have come to expect is imperative. We keep strict checks on quality by maintaining a relationship with our farmers throughout the growing season. We offer them access to new knowledge of natural processes and ensure that crops are grown in compliance with natural standards.We take our quality checks seriously. Maihar Agro farms has office on the ground who visit each farm at least twice a month, and our project supervisor personally visits each farmer once every cropping season. These regular visits ensure that our internal control system runs efficiently and systematically. We take a very active role in critical decisions which may affect the quality of the products – from determining what type of seeds are planted or which natural techniques will be used to which bio-pesticides will be used in which farm.

QUALITY CONTROL AND TRACEABILITY

When it comes to quality, safety, and innovation, we make no compromises. We make sure that not only do our products match global quality standards, but exceed them. We frequently test product batches carefully to ensure that they’re meeting rigorous global natural standards. All products sourced from new producers are tested carefully, while we continuously randomly test products from our existing suppliers. We also maintain a detailed database and tracking system of our products at every harvest season. We carefully track where we sourced each order, so when a customer has a question about the source of a Maihar Agro product, the origin of each product can be easily traced.